Hungary
}} General Information Hungary is an independent state in Europe. Geography Borders: * North: USSR (Slovak SSR) * East: USSR (Ukrainian SSR) * South: Romania, Serbia * West: Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Adriatic Sea Administrative Divisions Hungary is divided into 71 subdivisions called [[List of Hungarian counties|'ва̄рмеԃе']] (vārmeďe, plural ва̄рмеԃе̄к, vārmeďēk = counties). Counties in the region known as the Croatian-Slavonian Land - Belovār-Kőröš, Lika-Korbava, Požega, Serēm, Vārašd and Zāgrāb - have, in addition to Hungarian, Croatian as a locally-official language. In Modruš-Fiume county, Croatian and Italian are both locally-official languages alongside Hungarian In the counties of Ārva, Barš, Gömör és Kiš-Hont, Liptō, Ňitra, Sepeš, Šāroš, Trenčēn, Turōc and Zōľom have, in addition to Hungarian, Slovak as a locally-official language. Ruthenian is a locally-official language in Zemplēn county (alongside Hungarian and Slovak) as well as in Bereg and Ung counties (alongside Hungarian and Ukrainian). In Temeš and Torontāl counties, Serbian is a locally-official language alongside Hungarian. Romanian is a locally-official language (alongside Hungarian) in the counties of Alšō-Fehēr, Arad, Braššō, Fogaraš, Huňad, Kraššō-Sörēň and Seben. Government Hungary is a constitutional monarchy. According to the Constitution (Hung. Алкотма̄ԋ, Alkotmāň), Hungary has three heads of state of equal rank: the Кенде (Kende, king), the Елнѡк (Elnök, president) and the Ԃула (Ďula, supreme military commander). The executive head of state is the Kende; the current Kende is Koppāň V (V. Коппа̄ԋ) of the House of Ārpād. The legislative head of state is the Elnök, who is the head of the parliament as elected by the population through universal suffrage. The current president is Māťāš Sűč (Сѵ̄ч Ма̄ԏа̄ш). The military head of state is the Ďula, who is the supreme commander of the Hungarian Armed Forces. The Ďula is appointed by agreement between the Kende and the Elnök, selected from amongst the general staff of the Hungarian Armed Forces. The current Ďula is Bēla Lőčei (Лѡ̄чеи Бе̄ла), Admiral (Hung. Тенгернаԃ, Tengernaď) of the Hungarian Navy. History List of Rulers of Hungary Early History (7th to 15th Centuries) The history of modern Hungary begins with the Honfoglalāš - the "Occupation of the Homeland". This happened in two waves. The first wave saw the so-called "White Magyars" arrive in the Carpathian basin in the late 7th century. The White Magyars were a grouping of Finno-Ugric tribes from Yugra in modern Idel-Ural. After arriving in the Carpathian basin, they finally settled in the Mātra mountains and in the area between the Danube and Tisza rivers; there, they established villages and sacked those of the original inhabitants, pacifying that region and making it their own. The second wave of the Honfoglalāš was the arrival of the so-called "Black Magyars" into the Carpathian basin in 896 AD. The Black Magyars were a grouping of eight Finno-Ugric tribes from Yugra - Ňēk, Meďer, Kürt, Ďarmat, Tarjān, Jenő, Kēr and Kesi - who had in the course of their travels been joined by various Turkic tribes, notably the Kabars and some Scythians. The chieftains of the tribes were Ālmoš (Meďer), Előd (Ňēk), Kend (Kürt), Ond (Tarjān), Tas (Jenő), Huba (Kēr), Tētēň (Kesi) and Bulčū (Ďarmat). Ārpād was recognised as the leader of leaders amongst themselves and by the Byzantines. The Black Magyars took up residence in Pannonia, following the pattern the White Magyars set - establishing settlements of their own and sacking those of the indigenous inhabitants, enslaving or killing them. By the 10th century, much of the northwestern third of modern Hungary had become Magyarised, along with pockets in Transylvania. Through the first half of that century, different regions were ruled by different chieftains - Sabolč in Black (northern) Hungary, Tarhoš in Red (southern) Hungary and Zoltān of White (western) Hungary; Zoltān later became the ruler of all Hungary when the separate chiefdoms finally united into a single political entity nowadays referred to as the Grand Principality of Hungary (Maďar Fejedelemšēg) around 922 AD. Following the death of Grand Prince Gēza in 997 AD, a power struggle emerged between his son Vajk and his brother Koppāň. Vajk had converted to Christianity (adopting the name Ištvān, Stephen) under the tutelage of missionaries sent to Gēza's court from the Holy Roman Empire. Though Vajk had been designated as Gēza's heir, which Koppāň had recognised despite having a legal claim to the throne by virtue of being the Grand Prince's eldest brother. However, Vajk's expressed desire to convert the entirety of the Magyar nation to Christianity alarmed many nobles, including Koppāň, who believed that conversion of the nation to Christianity would result in the loss of Hungarian independence. This intent of Vajk's won him the support of the Holy Roman Empire. Koppāň went about gathering the support of significant nobles, including - vitally - the most powerful chieftains in southern Hungary, two of whom had converted to Christianity under the guidance of missionaries from Constantinople. Significantly, Koppāň was able to secure Byzantine support without promising to convert the nation to Christianity, and this further enabled him to gain the support of pagan nobles. The decisive battle took place in late 998 AD near Vesprēm, resulting in a crushing defeat for Vajk's forces despite the presence of a regiment of Bavarian armoured troops. Vajk himself was killed in the battle, and on 20 August 1083 he was canonised by Pope Gregory VII as St. Stephen (he is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, but not by Eastern Orthodox Churches). After his victory, Koppāň established the Kingdom of Hungary (Maďar Kendešēg) after receiving a crown from the Byzantine emperor. Due to Koppāň's victory, Hungary fell into the Byzantine sphere of influence. Though he himself never converted to Christianity, Koppāň did allow proselytisation by Byzantine missionaries to occur. At the same time, he issued various other edicts that limited the amount of influence the Byzantine Church could have on Hungarian politics - such as the edict forbidding members of the clergy from holding political positions, and that which mandated a 50-50 split between pagans and Christians in the memberships of town councils and on his own advisory body. His youngest son, St. Csaba, became the first Magyar bishop. Koppāň's great-grandson, St. Laborc, is venerated as the founder of the Hungarian Orthodox Church (Maďar Igazhitű Eďhāz). Over the centuries, Orthodox Christianity spread throughout Hungary, eventually becoming the state religion at various times between the 13th and the 19th centuries. However, Hungarian shamanism was allowed by kingly edict to be practiced, though occasionally - especially under the Habsburg dynasty - shamanism was repressed. Despite the occasional repressions and steady conversions to Christianity, Hungarian shamanism survived, and is still practiced by 17% of the population according to the 2004 census. First Great War (1914 to 1918) The First Great War started with the assassination of Austro-Hungarian archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, leading to the Austrian declaration of war on Serbia. The Hungarian army refused to mobilise, however, leading to the Hungarian declaration of independence from Austria on Christmas Eve, 1914. France and the United Kingdom, by then at war with the German Empire and Austria, immediately recognised Hungarian independence and provided support to the Hungarians. The Hungarian declaration of independence opened an unexpected front for the Austrians, who were forced to abandon their operations against Serbia in order to fight the Hungarians. The Serbs, being already in a state of war with Austria, decided to regard the Austrian attacks against the Hungarians as Catholic aggression against fellow Orthodox Christians. Though a few Serbian regiments were sent to assist the defence of Budapest following the Austrian capture of Požoň and Ďőr, they primarily engaged the Austrians in Bosnia (which did provide indirect help to the Hungarians). The Russians - also already in a state of war with Germany - declared war on Austria as well, and deployed units to Hungary. The Russian divisions helped turn the Hungarian defence of Budapest into a powerful counteroffensive, providing the backbone of the thrust to liberate Ďőr, while Russian aircraft helped achieve Allied air superiority over Hungary, together with a squadron of French aircraft and the small Hungarian Air Force - a ragtag collection of prewar Austrian aircraft and small numbers of SPAD fighters provided by France (and, from 1917, British Sopwith Camel fighters). The Russian units were withdrawn after the Bolshevik Revolution. The war on the Austrian front ended in February 1918, when the Hungarian Army, assisted by a Serbian division and two Czech regiments who had deserted from the Austrian army, finally captured Vienna following a 5-month battle along dug-in trench lines, the Allies able to advance only very slowly, and occasionally even losing some ground. However, a large thrust in the middle of February finally shattered the Austrian lines, and Allied forces, led by a Hungarian division, marched triumphantly into Vienna. The Hungarian flag was raised over Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna on February 22, 1918. Interwar Period (1919 to 1937) Following the German surrender on November 11, 1918, The United Kingdom and France, recognising its role as a primary cocombatant, invited Hungary to sit at the discussions leading to the Treaty of Versailles that was imposed on Germany, and the Treaty of Trianon that was imposed on Austria. Though the role at Versailles was mostly symbolic, Hungary was given control of the German protectorate of Togoland, though no other concessions were received from the Germans. Trianon, however, was a different matter, with Hungarian demands being seriously considered - and in most instances, accepted for inclusion - by the French and the British. Hungary demanded full independence for Czechia and the transfer of Bosnia to Serbia. Additionally, immense reparations were extracted from Austria, both inthe form of gold and currency as well as in goods and in active reconstruction - some 30% of the output of Austrian factories was diverted to Hungary between the yearsof 1920 and 1930, and Austrian enterprises were forced to rebuild the destroyed road and rail infrastructure in Hungary, as well as a good portion of the reconstruction of the cities of Ďőr, Šopron and Požoň. Almost as an afterthought, the Austrian colony of Franz Joseph Land was also assigned to Hungary. Through the years following the end of the war, Hungary developed a very close relationship with France culturally, economically and militarily. Amongst other notable projects, the French Citroen works helped establish the Dunacit works in the city of Dunapentele, which went on to become Hungary's most significant manufacturer of automobiles and trucks. Most vital of the French investments in Hungarian industry, however, was the development of the Hungarian aviation industry. In October, 1923, the newly-established Dēdalus Repülőďār (=Daedalus Aircraft Factory) in Sabadka began production under licence of the French Dewoitine D.1 fighter aircraft (as the Dēdalus D.1), and in July, 1929, another new aircraft factory - the Šōľom Repülőďār (=Falcon Aircraft Factory) in Debrecen began production of the Nieuport-Delage NiD-52 fighter (as the Š.52). The Nieuport-Delage and Dewoitine companies, upon seeing the quality of workmanship in the Hungarian factories, decided to relay production of export orders for these types to the Hungarian factories, which gave a great boost to the nascent industry. In the middle of the 1930s the Hungarian Air Ministry began a plan to modernise the air force, which involved acquiring licences for the production of new aircraft types. In March, 1935, the Šōľom works began the production of the French Potez 540 bomber (as the Š.540), becoming the first bomber to be produced in Hungary; transport versions were also produced. In the spring of 1936, Šōľom undertook testing of a domestically-designed fighter aircraft, the Š.100, which was a further development of the NiD-52 design. Only one batch of 50 was built, however, as after the Dēdalus works began licenced production of the Morane-Saulnier MS.406 fighter (as the D.406), the Air Ministry decided in favour of the latter and ordered Šōľom to concentrate on the production of the Š.540 in both bomber and transport versions; the latter was produced both in military and civilian versions, quickly becoming the mainstay of the Hungarian airline Malē. Hungary took great interest in its newfound status as a colonial power, however minor, with much attention being given to Togo; very little, however, was done with Franz Joseph Land, apart from the establishment of a scientific research facility. Second Great War (1938 to 1942) The Second Great War started in 1938 when the German Empire led by Adolf Hitler attempted to occupy the region of Czechia known as the Sudetenland, which had a significant German minority. Hitler presented a set of demands to the Czechs, which included annexation to Germany of the Sudetenland; the United Kingdom, hoping to preserve peace in Europe, recommended to the Czechs to accept the terms. However, the Czechs, whose military forces were equal in number and deemed by them to be superior in equipment to the German military, decided to reject the terms; they were supported in this decision by France and Hungary. Hitler launched an invasion on September 1, 1938. The initial invasion surprised the Czechs in its intensity, and the Germans were able very quickly to advance deep into Czech territory, threatening Prague by the end of the month. Hungary declared war on Germany on September 3 and sent army and air force units to assist the Czechs. Though the Hungarian army performed very well thanks to the new locally-designed tanks in service since the end of 1937, the air force was still mostly reliant on the D.406 fighters, which proved to be no match for the vastly superior Messerschmitt Bf.109 fighter operated by the Germans. The high point for the Hungarian air force in the early days of the war was the performance of the Potez 630 long-range fighter (30 had been supplied by France in the summer of 1937, and the first Hungarian-built examples entered service in January 1938). These aircraft were used with good effect as night fighters. Despite a spirited defence, Prague fell on October 25, 1938, and the Germans continued to push further into Czechia. On October 15, the Germans made life more difficult for the Hungarians by launching an invasion from Austria, which had been annexed by Hitler in 1937. In another Blitzkrieg attack, the Germans captured Šopron on October 23 and were threatening Sēkešfehērvār by November 19. France was unable to immediately offer assistance, however, as they had been invaded by Germany's ally Italy a week prior to the German invasion of Hungary, and Batavia had massed troops along the French border. Hungary did, however, receive help in the form of a Serbian declaration of war on Germany, and Serbian army units began arriving on the front to fight the Germans. Further, France gave the plans for the advanced Dewoitine D.520 fighter to Hungary, which began rolling off the production lines in Debrecen, as well as from the converted bus factory in Kašša and the locomotive factory in Zāgrā from February 1939. The Germans captured Sēkešfehērvār on December 28 and reached Budakesi on the outskirts of Budapešt on January 11, 1939. Budapešt, however, had been fortified in anticipation of a German assault, and the defenders were prepared. On February 3, 1939, the United Kingdom entered the war as well, launching an invasion from Denmark into Germany. Hitler responded by flattening Copenhagen in a series of enormous air raids, but it brought the Czechs and the Hungarians a needed moment to catch their collective breaths as units initially destined for those fronts were diverted north to try to repel the invasion into Schleswig-Holstein. The Czechs delivered a severe blow to the Germans in a massive tank battle just north of Plzeň on March 4, 1939, which proved to be the turning point of the war in Czechia. The direct German assault on Budapešt was launched on February 26, and they succeeded in pushing into Buda, occupying most of that half of the city by March 1; however, the Hungarians blew up the bridges across the Danube, which impeded the Germans' ability to enter Pešt. The fighting bogged down, and by the middle of March the Battle of Budapešt had degenerated into street fighting, with battles being waged over individual buildings. Pešt, however, did not fall. It was during the Battle of Budapešt that the Allies first gained air superiority in a battle front against the Germans: the Hungarian Air Force's new D.520 fighters, the Serbs' home-built Rogozarski IK-3 fighters could hold their own against the Messerschmitts, but the arrival on April 8, 1939 of Canadian RCAF squadrons equipped with the latest Spitfire fighters and the April 22nd arrival of CSA CS Air Corps squadrons flying the P-40 Warhawk turned the tide in favour of the Allies, at least in the air. In August, 1939, the Hungarian Air Force began receiving Fortress Mk. II heavy bombers from the Boeing works in Canada, which, flying from airbases in Fiume and Zāgrā and escorted by CSAC and RCAF fighters, began bombing targets in Austria, Bavaria and elsewhere in Germany. On the ground, however, the lines froze at Budapešt and Brno, while the Germans captured Murasombat on November 11, 1939 and Vārasd on December 1. Following Italy's surrender to France on November 19, 1939, France was free to move the units that had been busy in Italy, and sent them through Italy to invade the Saar. The Germans were now fighting on all sides - the UK invasion into Schleswig-Holstein in the north, which resulted in the fall of Hamburg in early March but subsequently slowed down as German resistance grew in intensity; as Hitler had ordered the Wehrmacht to fight for every inch of German soil; the Czech and Hungarian fronts in the southeast; and then the French invasion into the Saar on the west. With the invasion at a second point into Germany, Hitler was forced to change his plans. He withdrew several divisions from the Hungarian front, transferring them to the Saar, while ordering the Batavians to attack westwards along the coast into France. Having been forced onto the defensive, Hungarian and Serbian troops, with air support coming from their own as well as RCAF and CSAC units, were able to break through the Germans at Budapešt, going on to liberate Ďőr on January 11, 1940. In the south, a diversionary attack was launched against Vārašd, while the main thrust was directed towards Laibach (nowadays Ljubljana). In March, the Southern Group of Forces, comprised of Hungarian, Serbian and Bulgarian land and air units, along with Canadian and Confederate squadrons, was strengthened by the arrival of Confederate and AAAC (Australia-Aotearoa Army Corps) land units. Further, a division of infantry from the Hungarian colony of Togo arrived as well. This army group went on to occupy Graz (Gradec) at the end of April. The Central Group of Forces, after the Czechs liberated České Budě, proceeded west and south to join up with the Southern Group, bypassing and encircling Vienna. Progress slowed down thereafter, but by the end of 1941 Allied advances into Germany had been significant. The USSR entered the war only in December 1941, and a Soviet-UK attack resulted in the fall of Berlin on Hitler's birthday, April 20, 1942. The Germans fought on for a while longer, but surrendered on March 27 of that year. At the time of the Armistice, Hungarian troops had advanced as far as Regensburg in Bavaria. Following the German surrender, the territory of the German Empire was divided into zones of occupation between the victorious Allied powers - the UK, the USSR, France, the CSA, Czechia and Hungary; Hungary was assigned Austria, Thuringia and Bavaria as its Zone of Occupation, and played a significant role in the establishment of the Federated States of Germania. Postwar Hungary (1943 to date) Culture Hungarian Calendar Hungarian Orthography and Romanisation Category:Nations